Bottle capping means



p 1954 J. R. L. MARTIN BOTTLE CAPPING MEANS Filed July 25, 1950 VIII/Iffllil IIIVIIIIII'IA z I 1 1 1 1 1 INVENTOR.

,f/M flit/(4L Ti aQl- Patented Sept. 21, 1954 BOTTLE CAPPIN G MEANS Jean R. L. Martin, New York, N. Y., assignor to Coty, Inc., Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application July 25, 1950, Serial N 0. 175,713

6 Claims.

This invention relates to bottle caps and more particularly to bottle caps for perfume bottles and incorporating a plug therein so that the opening of the perfume bottle may be plugged or sealed at the same time that the cap is applied. The application is a continuation in part of my prior application Serial No. 137,721, filed January 10, 1950, now Patent No. 2,670,869.

The bottle cap of the instant application has particular advantages when applied to small perfume bottles such as are carried about in a lady's purse so that the perfume therefrom may be applied at any time convenient to the user. It is evident that in such an environment the perfume must be protected against spillage or leaking, notwithstanding any of a variety of positions into which the bottle may be thrown or agitated when it is carried about in a purse. The bottle cap must fit tightly, must provide a reliable seal and must not present undue difficulties in application to or removal from the bottle neck. The art has determined that a metallic cap most nearly meets these requirements while lending itself to decorative finishes or polishes, a characteristic which is important in this field.

. A metal cap is sturdy enough to permit tight application without risking cracking whereas plastic types of caps, for example, must be unusually and undesirably thick or heavy to offer the same degree of protection.

An important element in the production of the above described bottle cap is the cost thereof. For example, the cap requires threads for screwing the cap to the bottle neck. It has been found desirable to avoid such threads in the cap material itself so as not to detract from its external appearance or add to the cost of its manufacture. It is further desirable to incorporate a seal or the like in the cap as above mentioned. The cost of assembling these elements in a composite cap is considerable, relative to the total cost of production.

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With the foregoing in mind, I have devised a x V flexible liner which is used in combination with a thin-walled, decorative metal cap and which is not only extremely inexpensive to manufacture and assemble with the rap but further provides threads which engage with the bottle neck threads in effecting a firm closure and seal for the bottle neck opening. The plug per se takes the form of a hollow tube having an integral, expanding conical member therein which urges the walls of the tube against the defining walls of the bottle neck opening through lateral forces.

The plug tube is substantially concentric and integral with an outer, enlarged tube, the inner annular wall of which is formed with threads for engaging the threads of the bottle neck. As will be hereinafter described, the formation of the liner is such that the plug tube is automatically inserted and forced into the bottle opening as the cap is applied thereto. The liner further provides an integral, efficient seat for the bottle neck opening so as to eliminate the expense of inserting and retaining a separate seat. The liner also provides considerable areas of frictional contact with the inner walls of the thimblelike metallic cap so as to require no inward swaging of the lip of the cap in effecting retention of the liner therein.

The invention will be further understood from the following description and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view, partly in crosssection, illustrating the bottle cap parts and the bottle neck to which the cap is applied.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the applied bottlecap and bottle neck.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the lines 3--3 of Fig. 2.

The body IU of the bottle may be either of glass or any other type of bottle or container material which may be used for liquid perfumes. It is provided with the usual external threads I l on the bottle neck l2. Central opening l3 serves as the dispensing outlet for the perfume and it is conventionally formed on a small plateau [4 or the like, such formation being customary in order to increase the accurate disposition of the bottle opening and the surface regularity surrounding it. An annular lip Ma immediately surrounds the bottle opening l3 to better control the flow of the perfume.

A thimblelike metallic cap I5 is employed for capping the bottle I 0. Cap I5 is thin-walled and is not itself provided with threads. In order to render the cap adaptable for its intended use, I provide a liner [6 which is of resilient, plastic material. For example, it has been determined that polyethylene is a satisfactory material for this purpose. It can be fabricated so as to be 3 resilient and is largely inert and non-absorbent so as not to be effected by the liquid in the bottle.

Liner I6 is in the general shape of a hollow tube and is formed with internal threads l1 on its inner annular wall. Threads ll are adapted to engage bottle threads I l. Adjacent the top of liner I6 is a substantially concavo-convex transverse bridge or wall IS. The underside of wall is is formed with an annular boss l8a which is adapted to rest upon the lip Ma and conform to the shape of the areas surrounding the bottle neck opening when the cap is applied thereto.

Formedfcentrally of the liner it and depending downwardly 'so'as "to be concentric with the annular wall thereof is an integral hollow tube or plug I9. Plug l9 extends above and below wall l8, and since the material of the liner is resilient, the plug I9 is capable of tilting or other slight displacement relative to transverse wall Hi. In this way, bottle Openings which are irregular with respect to the bottle necks may nevertheless be provided with an effective seal through the action of plug l9.

Disposed approximately two-thirds down the length of plug I9 is a cone-shaped spring memher is integrally formed with the plug and liner. The cone-shaped spring member 2e exerts an outward thrust on the adjacent inner walls of plug it and enhances the sealing-function thereof. when the plug it is inserted in opening it, the walls of opening i 3 compress the barrel of the plug inwardly and, the spring member tending to resist such compression, provides a firm seal of the -plug within the bottleneck 'op'e'ning. Ihe leading end 21 of the plug is beveled inwardl y so as to facilitate insertion thereof in the bottle opening. As illustrated, the bottom edge of plu g I 9 terminates approximately half way down the length or the liner it rio'm the top thereof.

The outer annular wall of liner I-Bis smooth. The material of which it is iabricated however, is not 'slipper y buthas a rather "soft feel, as will be known to those skilled in the art. According to the instant invention, the outer diameter of liner is is arranged to be substantially "the same as the inner diameter of cap 115. As a result, when the liner is pushed into orotherwise assembled with the cap '55, it remains therein and exhibits a marked frictional fit rendering the liner ordinarily incapable of removal. A suggested method of assembly is to first screw the liner it over the threads ll or bottle neck 12 so that the plug is enters into the opening la. The cap l is then manually pushed over the liner 16 with as much force as is required, generally quite moderate, and it will thereafter be found that when the cap it is rotated in the proper direction, it will unscrew the liner from the bottle neck. In fact, at this time it is found that the cap and liner become a unit insofar as removal or application thereof is concerned. The consumer would find it quite difiicult to separate the liner from the cap. It can be effected by an abnormally and strong upward pull on the cap while it is assembled with the bottle neck "and without rotating the cap. Of course, this action will not be employed by a user of the perfume unless such d-isasso'ciation of the cap elements was intended.

It ha further been found that if the outer annular wall of liner it is provided with longitudinal slits 25, its adherence to the cap I5 is improved. This is probably because any discrepancy between the outer diameter of the liner l6 and the inner diameter of the ca [5 may be compensated for by the action of such slits. No claim to these slits is made in the instant application.

It will be observed from Fig. 1 that the top edge of the plug I9 is slightly higher than the corresponding edge of the outer tube. As a consequence, when the composite cap is tightened on the bottle neck, the planar ceiling lEa of the cap presses downwardly on the tube or plug [9 so as to urge it downwardly into the bottle openin as illustrated in Fig. 2. The c o ncavo convex nature of wall Hi cooperates in this action by similarly urging the plug or tube downwardly or at any rate maintains its downward disposition as the liner is screwed forcefully down on the bottle neck. It will be noted in Fig. 2 that the walls of the tube or plug I9 adjacent the rim of the "clinical rnemb'er 2%? are urged inwardly so that the angle of the cone is rendered more acute relative to it's normal angle illustrated in Fig. 1. This indicates the sealing effect of the conical member 20.

it will be evident from the above that I have devised a combination bottle seal and thread providing liner which be used together with a d'e o'rati've metallic 'oap and which provides a highly efiective 'sea-l even "during transport of the bottle. Assembly of the cap and liner may be effected manuany at the same time that the bottle arena-11 capped as will be evident. Each time that the user removes and then 'r'e-applies the cap, the plug will restore the s'eali'ng function of the composite bottle Can. It will be further understood that whereas -I have described my'ihvention as being directed to perfume bottle caps, it may serve similar objectives with various other types 'of bottles.

What is claimed is:

A tome sealing device comprising a thin walled, metallic, hollow cap having a ceiling ahd an annular depending wall, 'saidcap'cei1ing being planar, a liner of resilient plastic material se cured within said cap, said liner being "tubular and having internal threads :forrned on the inner wall thereof, a transverse wall across said liner and internally thereof and adjacent the top of the liner, an elongated Lpiu'g formed centrally of said transverse wall and extending longitudinally so that it concentric with said liner, said plu'g extending above and below said transverse wall, and 'cdntacting said planar cap 'ceiling, said plug being substantially hollow, and a conical, resilientmember disposed within said hollow .plug and having its rim integral with the inner wall of said plug so as 'to exert an outward thrust upon said plug inner wall response to a 'coinpr'essive force thereon. I

2. "bottle sealing device according to claim 1 and wherein said cap, liner and plug are all cir cular and "substantially concentric when ass'e'm bled, the huter diameter of said liner being equal to the inner diameter of said cap and having a frictional engagement therewith when the liner and cap are assembled. H 7

3. A bottle sealing device according to claim 2 and wherein said transverse wall is substantially concave-convex with the concavity on its upper face.

4. A bottle sealing device according to claim 2 and wherein the top edge of said plug is higher than the top edge of said. liner and "the bottom edge of said plug extends approximately half way down the length of the liner from the top thereof.

'5. A liner for use with a bottle cap, said liner being of resilient plastic material and being substantially tubular and hollow, and having internal threads formed on the inner annular wall thereof, a transverse wall across said liner and adjacent the top thereof, a central, hollow plug formed centrally of said transverse wall and extending longitudinally so that it is concentric with the annular wall of said liner, and a conical, resilient member disposed within said hollow plug and having its rim integral with the inner wall of said plug so as to exert an outward thrust upon said plug inner wall in response to a compressive force thereon, said transverse wall being formed internally of said liner, said plug extending above said transverse wall and above the top edge of the liner and depending downwardly approximately half way down the length of the liner from the top thereof.

6. A liner according to claim 5 and wherein said transverse wall is concavo-convex with the concavity thereof on its upper face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 5 55,438 1,413,703 1,702,182 1,724,346 2,262,021 10 2,266,270 2,325,309 2,416,069 2,526,622

Number Name Date Fox June 5, 1866 Biehn Apr. 25, 1922 Van Vlijman Feb. 12, 1929 Ford Aug. 13, 1929 Lockwood Nov. 11, 1941 Roth Dec. 16, 1941 De Swart July 27, 1943 Scott Feb. 18, 1947 Martin Oct. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Sept. 16, 1938 Great Britain Jan. 31, 1944 

